Will of Fire
by Golden Lioness-Goldie
Summary: The death of Zack Fair is shrouded in mystery.One girl, on a mission to find the truth,ends up finding the men all the stories speak of. Their names are Genesis,Sephiroth,Cloud...and Zack.ON HIATUS. BEING REWRITTEN.
1. Prologue

**A/N: I hope this brainchild of mine works out! I couldn't stand it when Zack died in Crisis Core!**

**Warning: Slightly AU-ish and the pairing will be either GenesisxOC or ZackxOC, depending on story development and reader reviews. Full of violence, blood, Materia and Mako, plus some extra bits made up...Violence is, obviously, inevitable.**

**I do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters, names or places. However, I do own all my OCs, and demand that they are not used without permission. Anyway, If I owned FF, Zack would be alive and well, as would Genesis.**

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Zack Fair. Who was he? Do we really know? We know that he was SOLDIER Rank One, and that he had been the student of Angeal Hewley. We know that he was the second owner of the Buster Sword, which has become Cloud Strife's signature weapon. And we know from records that Zack Fair was present when Sephiroth went insane, destroying the town of Nibelheim. But what happened after Zack was gunned down, after Shinra destroyed the last person trained by Angeal? Most accounts, including Cloud Strife's, say that he died. According to Cloud, he was pulled into the Lifestream by the spirit of Angeal. However, one living person knows the true story. To find it, you need to ask him. Who is this man?

That question's answer was _exactly _what a young woman from the town of Kalm wanted to find out. When Cloud Strife left Kalm's small inn, she did as well. However, she headed somewhere else. Who is this girl, you ask? Well, this girl is me. My name is Shin'rana Soldir, and I'm searching for the truth about Zack Fair. When I first heard of him, I merely heard his name, spoken of with fear. I had always been inquisitive, and I dug around for more information. When Cloud appeared in Kalm's inn, run by my uncle, I immediately recognized the Buster Sword. I paid close attention to the mercenary, perking up my ears when ever I heard a _z_ sound. I only heard one thing, however. Cloud whispered it to himself, just before leaving.

"What would Zack think of me now?"

I remember how I had wondered just how hard the blond man's life had been. Mine wasn't the best story on the planet either. My parents were long dead. Shinra operatives had killed them both while I huddled in a closet. What drove me insane about Shinra was that my name, Shin'rana Soldir, sounded _far_ too much like Shinra SOLDIER. I had hidden, shivering, in that closet for hours. My uncle found me about twenty minutes before the entire town was "neutralized". I ended up working for him in the inn. I had spent several years scrounging tips, hiding them away from my money-grubbing uncle. I counted up my total money count. 800 gil. Holy Gaia.

That was more money than I had ever held in my life. I packed my meager bags with some stolen pants and other clothes, put my money in a bag, hid it in my pack, and slipped out my bottom-floor window once all the patrons had fallen asleep. So it was that I began my harrowing journey, with a knife on my belt and a pack on my back. Each step I took, I convinced myself, was one step closer to finding Zack's story. The legendary warrior intrigued me beyond imagining, and I still wasn't sure why. I didn't even know what the man looked liked, save for the fact that his hair was spiky and black and his eyes a bright green-blue color.

After about a month of traveling, I entered a small town. Never one for slyness, I walked right up to the first man I saw and asked him, point-blank, if he had heard of Zack Fair. He stared at me, nodding. He told me that he had heard the name, but that a stranger with red hair and a nasty disposition had passed through a few weeks ago and told him that he knew what had happened to Zack Fair. The workman was goggling at me with wide brown eyes, as if I were not human.

I don't exactly look normal, of course. Eyes the color of a new-minted gold piece do that. My spiny hair, which I could never tame, was cropped short, a black color that had a slight gray tinge. It made me look as though I had covered my head in old ashes. I was tall, for a girl. About six foot at the age of twenty-four, to be exact. I was fairly well curved in all the right places, but I wore baggy clothes, both for ease of movement and for camouflage purposes.

I had thanked the man and taken off in the direction he had indicated, not stopping to think about anything other that the redheaded stranger. I found him about three days later in the middle of a rainstorm, in a cave to the side of the road. I had followed the smell of smoke, and found it issuing from the cave mouth. I entered to find a man I had heard about in stories, usually portrayed as a villain. He was indeed redheaded, and his cold, hard eyes were electric blue-green. I recognized him, even though I had never once laid eyes on the man. Even wrapped in a thick black cloak instead of a scarlet trench coat, he was quite clearly Genesis Rhapsodos. He looked up at me, his eyes widening slightly. He spoke in a deep, velvety voice with a core of steel, like the sheathed claws of a cat.

"Who are you?"

I straightened, holding up my hands to show that I was weaponless.

"My name is Shin'rana Soldir. No need to ask your, name, Genesis Rhapsodos."

He raised one red eyebrow. "You know me? Any you say your name is Shin'rana Soldir?"

I nodded, matching his green eyes with my golden ones. "That is correct. Before you say anything else, my name has nothing to do with the organization Shinra or the military corps SOLDIER. I want nothing to do with either group."

"Why have you come here, and how did you find me?"

"I followed the scent of smoke, and I have been walking across the land to find someone who knows what I believe you do."

He frowned. "And what, pray, is that?"

I took a deep breath. This was it. "I need to know about Zack Fair, and the circumstances surrounding his death."

_That _got a reaction out of the former SOLDIER. "Zack Fair?"

"Yes. His death doesn't seem right to me. I don't believe that someone trained by Angeal Hewley would go down without much of a fight."

Genesis stood up, walking over to me. "I see. Hmmm. You're right. Angeal's puppy wouldn't give up that easily. The Zack that Angeal trained would have taken out half that legion before going down."

He continued, watching me brush mud off my pants. "You seem perfectly trustworthy. I don't detect any deceit or malice in you. Please," He gestured to a rock near the fire, "Have a seat. I know enough not to allow a woman to stand whilst I am still seated."

"Thank you."

He sat on the rock opposite me. "Zack is alive."

"What?"

"Were he dead, I would not be here. The Goddess saved him. When Cloud saw him drawn into the Lifestream by Angeal, he actually saw Angeal pulling Zack in just _before_ he died. This saved Zack's life. He was frozen in the Lifestream, a kind of suspended animation, if you will. He had remained this way for almost three of the years of this plane of existence when I came upon his frozen body and suspended mind. You must understand."

He looked me directly in the eyes, and a shiver of something raced down my spine.

"By this time, I was long dead."

"But-"

"I am trying to explain. Please."

"Sorry. Please continue, Genesis."

"My body was dead, but, like Angeal, I remained as a spirit in the Lifestream. My wandering mind came across Zack, floating as if asleep. Still, I knew he should be dead. He was covered in bullet wounds and blood, but he was still breathing. His sword, Angeal's sword, was missing."

"What did you do?"

"I went to the Goddess. Yes, Shin'rana, she does exist. She changed me. She reversed the monstrous blood within my body, the disease I had been given by Hojo."

At this point, he clenched his fists, his leather gloves squeaking. I didn't question him further, but let him continue to speak. His voice shook ever so slightly as he recounted what had happened.

"The degradation process of my body had gone so far before my death that my hair had turned white, and my skin ashen. I had a single black wing, and I was powerful beyond belief. However...Zack killed me."

I gasped. If Zack had killed Genesis, then how was he here? He answered my question without me even voicing it.

"I begged the Goddess to save Zack. I told her that true bravery and light existed in him, that his strength of mind and pure _will-_"

"Will?"

"His willpower. He was so strong in this regard that I would not hesitate to call it anything less than a _Will of Fire._ Zack's will burned like an unstoppable flame, his loyalty to those he loved surpassing all but his wish to become a hero. Shinra has smeared the name of Zack Fair, and the name of Angeal Hewley. Of Genesis Rhapsodos, what they speak of me is almost always true. I was once a terrible person, self-serving and unkind. In Angeal's words to me, I was a jerk. Zack knew me back then. When I died by his hand, my thinking changed. True, I was no longer alive. A mere spirit, floating in the lifestream. Still, if I were ever to live again, I would be a changed man. I told the Goddess that Zack had his whole life ahead of him, if only she would allow him to live again."

"And as she listened to me, she decided Zack's and my inextricably twined fates. She told me that my request would be granted, but she said, 'Genesis Rhapsodos. Before you came to be in the Lifestream, you were cold, cruel, and cared for no one but yourself. Now, this man Zack Fair...He has changed you into what you should truly have been. Your compassion for this warrior, who should by all the laws of Gaia be dead, as you are, has shown me that he is as much you as you are him. You shall both be returned to the land of the living. You must find each other, and together destroy those who threaten the sanctity of the world.'"

"Her last remark as I felt myself becoming more earthbound puzzled me, until now. She said, "Genesis...I will return you to your original state of being, without fear of degradation. You will meet a human in a rainstorm, golden eyed and ashen haired, who will be essential to your quest. To find Zack, you will need the One with an Evil Name, the One with the Heart of Dragons.' I believe, looking at you now, that you are that One. Your name invokes Shinra and SOLDIER, yet the tears pooling in your eyes suggest that you have a heart filled with love and warmth. The mere fact that you are a woman with only a belt knife traveling alone and untrained in a land like ours...that suggests the most powerful heart of all. If you are willing, Shin'rana, we may travel together, find Zack Fair, and destroy Shinra _and _SOLDIER."

I reached a hand to my face. It was true, my eyes were full of large, wet tears. Anyone with a heart would at least have been touched by Genesis' story, but it gave me a full-blown meltdown. I began sobbing into my hands, and barely registerd Genesis laying his hand on my shoulder, which was shaking with the force of my racking sobs. My body was inexplicably overloading with grief for which I had no reason beyond the truth. When I finally stopped crying, drying my eyes on an offered handkerchief, I looked up at Genesis.

"You..want..me? To come with you?"

"Yes."

"But, but I'm absolutely useless! All I can do is clean, cook, and serve drinks to taverngoers!"

Genesis gave me a surprisingly warm grin, his long earring glinting in the firelight. "Easy enough to fix. I can train you like a member of SOLDIER, so that you know their ways. I can assume that, perhaps, a little Mako would not be a mistake to give you, either. That way, you could use Materia."

"You would train me?"

"As much as I could, anyway. I don't know what weapon you would be best with, nor what your Materia affinity would be if you were infused with a little Mako. My affinity is Fire, and my Rapier Sword-" he gesture to the long, bright red sword leaned on a nearby wall, " Is a one of a kind weapon. Perhaps I can start with hand-to hand."

I looked at the man in awe. I stood, drawing myself up to my full height, which was not much shorter than Genesis. I squared my shoulders and looked straight into his pale, bright-eyed face.

"Genesis Rhapsodos, I, Shin'rana Soldir, pledge my allegiance to you and your cause, being allowed to be trained by you. I give you my consent to infuse my body with Mako energy so that I may learn the use of Materia. As your student, I will help you to find Zack Fair, wherever he may be, and to destroy the organizations Shinra and SOLDIER."

He nodded. "Good. Let us rest here for the night, and set out at dawn."

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**A/N: yes, this is a short first chapter, more of a prologue. If I get good reviews on it, I will consider expanding it! Let me know if you like the idea!**

** Golden Lioness**


	2. The Cetra and the Smith

**A/N: All Right! A review already! Thank you, Taylor! I do like the Genesis/OC pairing, but I really love Zack! I may choose to bring in another main-character OC, so we can all be satisfied.**

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**I woke early, sunlight streaming through the front of the cave. I sat up, and something heavy fell off of me. Genesis' cloak. I looked around for the redhead, my eyes adjusting to the now-lit cave. It was far smaller than I had thought, a mere hole in the rock face. Genesis was half slumped against a wall, huddled close to the still-burning fire. He was warming his hands, now out of their gloves. His hands were long-fingered and slim, long nails and flawless skin. When he turned a hand over, I saw calluses, lots of them, but they were old. I would guess that they were from his sword. Even leather gloves would not prevent long years' worth of damage from a metal hilt. Still, how he could even _have _old calluses was a mystery, but I assumed that "Original State" meant strength _and _physical state, so he would have old calluses even if he had been dead for some time.

He looked up at me as I walked the short distance over, holding his cloak out wordlessly. He accepted it just as quietly, then turned to stare into the flames, his Mako-bright green eyes reflecting tiny versions of the flames in front of him. He looked directly into the heart of the fire, a small frown creasing his pale brow. As he looked, I wondered again how it was possible that either he or Zack Fair could be alive. I accepted his story as the truth after about five minutes, seeing as he wouldn't tell me something so far-fetched with such emotion unless it was true. Either that, or he was an extremely good actor. Something told me that wasn't the case, however. I looked down at my knees, which, though covered by cloth, were shaking. Genesis looked up after about five minutes.

"Did you sleep well, Shin'rana?"

I glanced up, my eyes meeting his. "Yes, I did. Thank you for lending me your cloak. It was quite warm."

A slight smile graced his features. His red hair fell across his eyes. "Good. It may be prudent to procure one for you at the next town."

"So...do you have any idea where Zack may be?"

"Not really, I'm just following this...feeling. I know it is little to put faith in...But it is stronger when I head northwest. At first, I tried going south. But, after about two days, I turned northwest, and I felt him."

"You felt Zack?"

"Yes. His presence...his Mako signature. You see, everything with Mako has a different affinity. At least, most do. I recognize Zack's peculiar signature because I knew him those many years ago. He has no affinity. That is to say, he is not particularly powerful in one type of Materia or another. He was always best with a sword. At any rate, I felt something...odd. Like a tug. And I saw Zack's face in my mind...His black hair, bright blue eyes, and his scar."

"Uh...Forgive me, Genesis, but I don't know what Zack looks like. I think I should, if I come across him when you are not present, like at night, maybe."

He nodded, shifting his left hand onto his knee. "That is a good point. I happen to have a photograph of him. It is as recent as I could find. I have dated it to about eight months before his death."

He handed me a small, pocket sized photo. "This was taken in a laboratory, where Zack was the only one of multiple subjects not to fall into a coma."

I looked at the picture. A strong face greeted me, staring out of the photo. The man had thick, spiky, backswept black hair, with one long strand over his right eye like a bang. It looked like an old drawing I had seen in a ShinRa-sponsored museum of Angeal Hewley, but the face of the man was by no means Angeal. His jaw was narrower, his face thinner. His hair stuck up in the back much like mine, though it was longer, and he had a small cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. His eyes shone from the paper, such a bright blue that they appeared to glow. He had no expression on his face, probably because the picture was taken when he was strapped to a table or something. He was handsome, with a strong jaw, straight nose and high cheekbones. He had a high hairline, and his hair showed no signs of gray. His face remained cleanshaven, and Genesis informed me that this was due to Mako.

We exited the cave, returning to the road after I had examined Zack's photo and given it back to Genesis. We ha agreed that we would find a cloak and better clothes for me before we payed a nearby SOLDIER base that Genesis knew about a little visit. He would go in, steal enough Mako to treat me, then meet me in the next town. I, meanwhile, would search for a weapon I would be willing to use. We walked in relative silence for about twenty minutes, but I couldn't hold in my questions for very long. Before the day was out, I had Genesis answering so many of my questions that, had he been any other person, he would have gone red in the face with annoyance. As it was, he answered my multitude of questions patiently, with hardly a single inquiry left unanswered.

By the time we entered another tiny, speck-on-the-map town, I was exhausted. Keeping up with someone who had once been a first-class SOLDIER was no easy task, particularly not for a former serving girl. Plus, true to his word, Genesis had stopped a few times to begin teaching me hand-to-hand combat. I was exhausted and falling asleep on my feet, but knew how to stun anyone with only a hand, exacty where to kick to make someone fall, how to throw, and the correct way to punch. We found the town's little inn almost immediately. Genesis, as we had agreed, set up a room for us, under the pretext of my being his ward. Not the most foolproof plan on the face of the earth, but the innkeeper was so pleased to actually see customers that he wouldn't have cared if Genesis was kidnapping me.

I followed him to the room we were given. Its two beds were clean, at least. Better than what I had back in Kalm. Genesis and I left to scout out a cloak, but Genesis held on to his sword. The innkeeper hadn't even batted an eye at the blood-colored blade, with its fancy, rapier-style handle. Genesis' eyes didn't even faze him. This was probably because of the proximity of a SOLDIER base, so Genesis' bright Mako-enhanced eyes didn't bug him at all. Besides that, it was well known that there were people out there who had Genesis' facial features or hair, so it wasn't too difficult to explain him away as someone like that.

As we exited the inn into the chilly air of the little town, Genesis turned to me.

"We should get you a cloak, then go in there."

He pointed to a shop I wouldn't have assumed would be in a town this small. It was a weapons shop filled with swords and knives, but the sword mounted in the window was the one that caught my eye. It looked _exactly _like Genesis' sword, but instead of a scarlet blade, the blade of the sword was gold. Not made of gold, no way, it had too hard of a shine to it. It was gold like Genesis' sword was red. Genesis tapped my shoulder.

"Shin'rana? Genesis to Shin'rana, come in, is everything all right up there?"

He rapped my head with his knuckles, and I turned my head. "Hmm?"

"I know that sword is interesting, and the craftsmanship is beautiful, but we can go in there later. Come."

"Oh, right!"

It was then that the unthinkable happened.

_BRAKKABRAKKABRAKABRAKKA_

Thunderous noise, the sound of helicopter blades slicing the air like knives. A full twelve SOLDIER choppers crested the nearby mountain, dipping down close. Out of each, nine ShinRa foot soldiers leaped, cradling heavy artillery in their arms. In less than a second, there were over a hundred guns pointed straight at us. A full battalion. This was more soldiers than, I had gathered, had been sent to take out Zack. And Genesis was supposed to be dead. I was a mere barmaid, at least formerly. Genesis backed into me, drawing his lethal blade.

"Stand ready."

I hissed at him. "Are you freaking kidding? There's a hundred and eight of them and two of us! Maybe we'd have a chance if we were both former SOLDIERS of the same rank, but I only know what you taught me so far!"

Genesis hissed right back, his single long earring glinting red from the reflected light of his sword. ""Don't be ridiculous. Try to cast a Materia."

"But I haven't got-"

Genesis nearly lost his temper right there. He held himself from shouting at the top of his lungs, but only just. "Don't tell me what you haven't got! You're leaking so much Mako, you can only be one thing, Shin'rana! A Cetra! You can cast Materia at will!"

I was the only one who heard this of course, but my jaw dropped, both because of his comment and the fact that we hadn't yet been peppered with bullets.

"Are you kidding? Me? What the hell makes you say that?"

"You are leaking Mako energy at a totally inhuman level! You can focus it! Just feel it!"

I shut my eyes, giving the appearance of bracing for my death. In reality, I was listening to what Genesis told me. I held my breath-and _felt _the magic. Not Materia-that was magic in a item form. _Magic, _pure power, that's what this was. I couldn't very well describe it to you, as it's one of those things you need to experience to know what it's like, but if I had to try...I would say it was like a flame. A scorching blaze, burning in a spot just below my heart. It throbbed in my head, my heart rate increasing as I found the magic center. I pictured it in my mind, a golden flame with flashes of green, blue, and red, even some white. I drew it out through my hands, the magic traveling up to my shoulders and down my arms. I lifted them in front of me, and the magic raced down, my arms vibrating with the force of the power.

It exploded out my palms, flames of rich gold and red. The searing heat of the fire blasted through the Shinra ranks, sending the lucky ones in the back running, their guns forgotten in the dirt. The unlucky ones were crisped before they could say "We're screwed".

The helicopters flew away, the few men left clambering up ladders that had been dropped. I stood in the middle of the street, my hands still outstretched. There was a burn mark the size of an entire inn, with charred lumps that were all that was left of the unluckier ShinRa Soldiers. It began to rain.

"Did I just...?"

"Yes."

"Did I kill...?"

"Yes. About sixty of them."

"How did they...?"

"I don't know."

"Oh...Dear Goddess, what did I _do?_"

He walked to me. Ignoring the faces of shocked townspeople already beginning to poke their faces out of windows and doors, he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"As I said, Shin'rana. You are a Cetra. I didn't think there were any left, but this...this changes things."

I was shaking, but my voice remained somewhat steady. "How so, Genesis?"

"Well, for one thing, we know why Shinra appears to be looking for us. For another, we don't need to get any Mako. That would be an unnecessary waste of time, after all. You do realize you just cast an extremely powerful fire-type Materia it took me a great many years to perfect?"

"What is it called?"

Now people were beginning to walk out of buildings.

"It's called Firaga by most SOLDIERs who know about it. I've never seen someone cast it unconsciously before. How do you feel?"

"Really cold, like all my energy flew out of me."

"Well, that's exactly what happened to you. You have massive power, I've never felt such extreme amounts of Mako in someone, not naturally."

A man came running up, interrupting Genesis. "Hey! What happened? Did one of you make that fire? Why were all those soldiers there?"

He was clearly hysterical, but Genesis looked at him with mild interest. I looked from one to the other, shivering and confused. Genesis' arm encircled my shoulders.

"All in good time, sir. However, we must get my ward out of here. She is frightened and the day is not too warm."

The man looked shocked. His wide, slightly protruding eyes may have contributed to that, but he rubbed his scruffy black beard and said, "Oh, well, of course, forgive me. Please, come into my shop."

He gestured to the weapons store. "I know it doesn't look like something a lady would enjoy, but there is always a fire burning regardless of the season."

As Genesis turned to lead me in, the man, who was extremely short, but muscled and strong-looking, gasped. Genesis quickly looked back at him.

"Is something wrong, sir?"

"That sword...I thought-but wherever did you get that blade?"

Genesis led me through the door, still addressing the man. "I bought it from a man named Gilligan Williamson almost eighteen years ago. Why?"

The man, who had entered his shop behind us, gasped again. "Gilligan Williamson, you said?"

"Yes."

"You aren't...you can't be...are you Genesis Rhapsodos?"

Genesis whirled around, surprise and fury glinting in his green eyes. His hand automatically reached for his sword.

"How do you know me?"

The man backed into the door. He stuttered slightly as he spoke. "W-well, sir, you bought that sword from me seventeen and a half years ago."

Genesis took on a look of shock. "Gilligan? You look so much...older!"

"Well, Genesis, I had heard you were dead. I have aged in the years since you came in to my shop to buy a graduation sword."

Gilligan had scruffy black hair to match his beard, but he had a few gray streaks. I guessed his age at about forty-five, maybe. He had small spectacles on, and he peered through them as he turned his attention to me, cowering beside the fire.

"And who might you be, young lady? Genesis was never known to have a ward, fake or otherwise."

I looked up. "My name is Shin'rana Soldir, sir. I'm no ward...more of a learn-as-we-move apprentice. I'm not sure what happened, but..."  
I trailed off, looking into the flames. Genesis took over immediately, giving me time to think.

"She cast that Firaga. Gilligan-as the person who made my weapon, which has only failed me when I have not listened to it, hear me now. Shin'rana is a Cetra. I don't know who her parents are, and and I won't ask her to tell me, but we are looking for Zack Fair together."

Gilligan's slightly protruding eyes widened further. "Whoa, Genesis, my friend, he's dead!"

"I was supposed to be dead as well, remember?"

"Oh...there is that. Why did all those troops appear?"

"We don't know. However, I think it may have something to do with Shin'rana. No one outside of this room knows I am alive."

I was about to contradict that statement, that the troops who had escaped knew, but caught myself. They probably didn't recognize him, swathed as he was in a charcoal-colored cloak instead of a scarlet jacket. Gilligan certainly hadn't, though Genesis was the same in appearance as he had probably been when he bought his sword. I stood, my legs no longer shaking.

"Genesis. May I ask a question?"

Genesis looked at me. "Of course," he said, then frowned slightly. "What is it?"

"Are you aware that it's now possible to teach me the use of your sword?"

"What?" Genesis looked shocked.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, that sword," I pointed to the golden blade in the display, "Is almost exactly like yours, allowing for differences in color and handle design, of course."

It was true. Genesis' hilt was made of curving pieces that looked like wings, whereas this blade's hilt was thick interlocking metal plates that gave the hilt a pair of horns, curving in like a rams' head. Gilligan piped up, pushing his spectacles up on his nose.

"Well, that sword is the sister of the Rapier Sword, and its blade is the same length and width. It is, however, slightly lighter than its counterpart. I did this because I figured that it would be a good blade to be used by anyone, not just a male warrior. I suppose I could allow Shin'rana to try it out for size."

He walked quickly over to the display, taking a keyring out of his pocket. He picked out a tiny pewter key and unlocked the brackets that held the sword in place. He hefted it down with the practiced ease of a blacksmith, and brought it back to where Genesis and I were standing. Gilligan held it out to me, and I, though I had never held a sword before, took it from him without hesitation. I held it in my right hand, its weight comfortable, the shape of the whorled hilt easily fitting into my ungloved palm. I held it straight up in the air, glanced at the golden blade, and swung it.

_SLASH!_

I was on the other side of the room now. As I stood, a table fell into two perfectly sliced halves. I turned back to Genesis and Gilligan, only to see Gilligan goggling at me with his mouth open, and Genesis staring at me as though I had suddenly sprouted a third eye. Genesis was the first one to speak. His voice was quiet, but the inner steel of his tone sent shivers racing down my spine.

"How the hell did you do that?"

"You mean the table?"

"No. I mean the speed, the way you held your sword. What you just did should be impossible without years upon years of extensive training."

"What do you mean? All I did was swing the sword and run across the room."

Genesis shook his head, his earring glinting in the firelight. "You just crossed this room in under a second with a sword that weighs at least a hundred pounds. You also swung said sword and sliced a table made of_ ironwood_. That is the hardest wood in the world, and you just sliced it as if it were butter. I thought you had never even held a sword before, much less used one!"

I frowned, walking back to him. "I haven't. I just held the sword-and moved."

Genesis whispered something I barely made out.

_"The Gift of the Goddess...that's the only explanation."_

"Uh...Excuse me?"

Genesis looked up. "How much for the sword, Gilligan?"

Gilligan frowned. "I never really expected to sell it, but if I had to give it a price...That's quality workmanship, and the best metals went into that blade. I'd say 3000 gil, plus..."

"Plus?"

Gilligan frowned. "Well, I'm a good mechanic and I always have special whetstones for my blades, plus this life is getting boring. Nobody wants swords anymore."

"What are you trying to say, Gilligan?"

Gilligan straightened to his full height of five feet, six inches. "I want to come with you on your...uh...quest."

As I saw Genesis' eyebrows shoot up in surprise, a warm grin spread across my face. In ten minutes, we were leaving the town behind with my new blade on my back and Gilligan Williamson, blacksmith, mechanic and cook, in tow.

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**A/N: Second chapter done! I wanted to make sure I built up my little band of adventurers with someone mechanics-oriented. Also, Shin'rana is a Cetra to add a little spice, something sort of abnormal, to her character. Hope you all enjoyed! Catch ya later!**


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